Jump, And I'll Catch You
by Pecore-Nere
Summary: Arthur Kirkland, 23, thief. Alfred F. Jones, 19, a young, talented, not to mention naïve and idealistic police. What'll happen when two such different people's fate clashed together?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

_Alfred's POV_

I pulled my hat straighter, my other hand's grip tightened on my gun. I felt that something was coming near. I shook my head, tried to get that eerie feeling off. The dark corridor frightened me more than the bad guy that was said to be hiding in this office building. I shook my head again vigorously. It's _so _uncool for a hero like me to feel scared like that.

I stopped in front of the door at the end of the corridor. It was made of wood and painted dull gray. I guessed that it must be a storage room or something like that. Nevertheless, I opened the door to check it out.

It turned out to be a small kitchen, with big windows opening to the city view outside. I was about to leave when I spotted a big paper bag on top of the counter, with a big 'M' printed on top of it. I took the bag and sniffed it cautiously.

Mmm, Big Mac! The delicious smell wafted into my nose. And french fries too, it seemed, as I recognized the delicious salty scent. My stomach rumbled audibly.

But stealing was the most unheroic thing someone could do, so I put back the paper bag back to the counter. I stared longingly at the bag for a while, and then I forced myself to turn to the door to leave.

When my hand was about to turn the handle, suddenly I heard something from the windows just beside the door. It sounded like something whipped through the night air outside.

I turned my head, and then suddenly a flash of brilliant green flashed before my eyes.

* * * * *

_Arthur's POV_

"Hey Artie!! We're clear over here!"

"No, we're not!"

"Sure we were. We just kicked a few stupid police's ass, didn't we?"

Sound of gunshot issued from my walkie-talkie, followed by a series of swearing and angry voices. I sighed heavily. _God, those two_, I thought. Now, the sound of the gunshot must've alerted all the police inside the building. Great.

I grumbled and whispered to my talkie, "You guys shut up _right now_, unless you want to be discovered by those polices!"

The two shut themselves immediately upon realizing the possible effect of their reckless argument. I sighed, for this is not the first - nor will it be the last - time that Vash and Gilbert had an argument during our mission. Their argument nearly ruined our mission for more than once.

"So, how is it going there anyway?" I whispered tensely.

"Well, Gilbert recklessly attacked two polices, so our position could be discovered within any moment," Vash answered. "So we'll be the perfect decoy. You can enter at any time"

"Roger," I replied.

I turned off my talkie and tucked it inside my vest, which was filled with all kinds of instruments. I turned to Kiku, who was still busy with his computer.

"Ready, Kiku?" I asked.

"Sure, Captain," he replied lightly.

I blushed slightly upon the nickname. Okay, then. I can finally begin my part in this mission.

I turned and scanned my surrounding. We were standing on the roof of the Alfroskaya Office building, in the downtown of Lussallia. The wind blew gently, tickling my face. The sky was filled with cloud, covering the ivory colored moon in the sky. Perfect.

I tightened my vest and my belt. I checked the strong iron rope that was attached to my belt, which was twisted three times around my torso.

"I'm off then, Kiku," I smiled.

"See you later then, Captain," Kiku replied, smiling back.

I turned and walked to the edge of the roof and peeked down. Down there, car lights flashed like shining ants scurrying. I inhaled a lungful of air, and jumped in a graceful leap.

And, once again, the sensation overwhelmed me. The feel of the wind, tearing through my body, whipping furiously around me, ruffling my choppy hair; the gravity force pulling me down; the chilly night air slapping me wide awake. I sighed happily, but the sensation only lasted for a few moments, before the ropes stopped my track.

Yet, what I didn't know was that as the ropes stopped my track, it actually also stopped the track of my fate, and turned it into a completely different direction.

And yeah, I knew nothing about it, until I turned my head to the window beside me, where I was planning to sneak in through.

It was a young man, barely twenty, with the brightest blue eyes visible through the windows.

* * * * *

"Robbery in Alfroskaya Office building?" Alfred cocked his eyebrows. "Where is that?"

"Really, Alfred; you don't know about Alfroskaya Trading Ltd, aru?" Wang sighed. He didn't get the slightest idea _why_ his own team's leader didn't even know about one of the richest companies in the country. "It's pretty expansive right now, aru. And they've built a branch office in the downtown, aru."

Alfred scanned the document he was holding. From what he had read, it seemed that a group of robber had planned to ambush the building and steal some precious documents concerning trading and joint ventures. Alfred sighed internally.

"Why must people do things like thic some times.

"Anyway, we were told to guard the building for tonight to prevent the robbers from doing whatever they wanted to do, aru," Wang explained. "We should get ready, Alfred. We'd have to employ quite a lot of police to cover the entire building, aru. It was quite huge, aru."

"All right then," Alfred snapped his head up, intent upon doing his job. "I won't just let these bad guys get away easily! I'll take care of this problem. You may leave, Wang."

Wang smiled slightly upon seeing his enthusiastic superior. "Okay, aru. Call me whenever you need me, aru."

Wang left Alfred alone, sitting beside his desk while he thought about his mission. His _first _mission as a leader of a team. It had been only last week when he was finally assigned with his own personal team.

At the first day with the team, he was quite nervous though, because he didn't really know any of the team's members except for Matthew. However, it turned out that the other two members, Feliciano and Wang, were extremely cooperative with the younger man, explaining and helping the rookie with his assignments as a lieutenant. As a lieutenant, Alfred must report daily to his Captain, Ludwig. Ludwig was the one who chose Alfred as one of his deputy, considering he's one of the most talented newbie in his department.

So far, Alfred's team only helps other team's mission, and was never really assigned with a mission of their own. So, this mission in the Alfroskaya Office building was their first official mission. The thought of being able to finally getting into action instead of just watching from afar made Alfred fidgeted with excitement.

He filled a document requesting a number of police to help them with the mission, humming happily, when suddenly his best friend, Matthew plopped into their office.

"Mattie!! Look what we've got here!" Alfred swung the documents, showing them to Matthew.

"Umm… A piece of paper?" Matthew stared confusedly at Alfred.

"No, no!! This is our first _official _assignment, it is!!" Alfred exclaimed proudly as he stood up to show Matthew the paper in his hand.

"Really? That's great!!" Matthew's face lit with excitement at their first official mission as a team. "What is it?"

"Robbery in Alfroskaya Office building," Alfred read his papers. "We were assigned to guard the building tonight. I'm supposed to employ quite a large number of polices to cover the entire building."

As the two of them chatted about their assignment, Alfred recalled how he met Matthew, about a year ago. They met in their test to be a police, and got along well immediately. Matthew's docile nature got along well with Alfred's boisterous and sometimes pushy attitude. He was also able to lure Alfred out from his wild plans, such as to spend his entire monthly wage to buy Big Macs from McDonalds.

They were discussing about the number of police they might need in the mission, when suddenly Feliciano slipped into their office.

"Ve~ What's happening in here?" said Feliciano when he spotted the other two chatted with excitement.

"Ah, Feliciano-san!! We've got our first official assignment right here!!" Alfred exclaimed with excitement, showing the official documents to Feliciano.

"Please, Alfred, just call me Feliciano, ve…" Feliciano smiled. "Really? That's great!!"

The Italian joined into their conversation, discussing about the number of police they might need. Alfred chatted with mounting excitement, thinking that their first mission would be their most awesome assignment ever.

* * * * *

"You want us to rob the Alfroskaya Office building?" Arthur raised one of his thick eyebrows.

"Yes," the young woman in front of him fidgeted nervously. "I know it sounds a little impossible, but…"

Arthur stared at his fingers, his brows furrowed. This young woman requested for their help using an email. She said that she managed to get their email address from an acquaintance. And she appeared with a surprising request as well. Robbing one of the most prominent buildings in the middle of the city was never easy.

"We'll try. But we can't guarantee the result," Arthur answered, still deep in thought.

His teammates stared at him incredulously.

"Arthur, are you for real, man!?" Gilbert exclaimed with disbelief.

"Sssh!! Shut up, fool!!" Vash snapped and pulled the silver-haired youth back to his chair. They were sitting inside a small café in the outside skirts of Lussallia, because they've never used their headquarters for meeting their clients. The café, luckily, was quite empty, so no one heard their conversation except for the barmen, which Arthur had already known for a long time.

"Arthur-san, do you realize that we're about to rob one of the most highly guarded building in the city?" Kiku tried to talk to Arthur, yet Arthur took no notice at all.

"Roderich?" Arthur called the barmen.

"You wanted me to find information on the Alfroskaya Office building?" the barmen asked, slightly irritated. "It'll be difficult."

"Can you?"

"Sure, but perhaps it will take some time," Roderich pushed his glasses straighter. "Are you okay with that?"

"How long?"

"About two hours or so. I need to use my best connections for this," Roderich half smiled.

"Fine, then. I'll take it," Arthur sat straighter as he looked at the young woman. "Katyusha-san, what do you want us to steal?"

"It's… A document I believe was stolen from me," the young woman said timidly. "My little sister stole them from me."

"Sister?" Arthur cocked his eyebrows.

"Well, more like a step sister really. We're not genetically related. But we've lived together as a child," Katyusha explained. Tears started to well in her eyes.

"Okay, then. We'll see what we can do. Can't really promise though," Arthur said.

The young woman stared at Arthur with a mix of gratitude and awe, and bowed deeply.

"Well, I must be going now. Contact me if you need anything," she stood up, wiping her eyes on her sleeves. "Thank you so much, Arthur-san. I really appreciate your efforts. I promise I'll pay you well for this."

"Anytime, Katyusha-san."

The young woman smiled slightly, and left the little café.

* * * * *

"And this is what I've managed to get," Roderich showed a large number of papers on the table. The papers were filled with maps and datas about the Alfroskaya Office building.

"Perfect," Arthur murmured, observing the details from the papers. "Thank you, Roderich. You will get your fair share on this."

"So you're gonna do it? Alfroskaya Office building's gonna be tough, isn't it?" Roderich said as he wiped washed cups. They were alone in the empty café. The rest of Arthur's team had gone home to their headquarters to prepare the equipment they needed for the mission.

"Yeah, but I'm interested with this one," Arthur said. "Can I have a beer or something like that?"

"No, no alcohol for you. I've seen what you do when you had too much alcohol," Roderich grimaced, cringed upon remembering the apparently awful memory.

Arthur grumbled audibly, yet he didn't push his luck. He continued to study the papers for a while, until he finally stood up, bringing the papers with him. He pushed a few coins to the counter.

"Here's for the tea earlier," Arthur said. "And thank you for your help."

"Sure, Arthur. Anytime you need me again, just call," replied Roderich, still busy cleaning his precious tea and coffee glasses.

Arthur smiled and walked out from the café, into the hot summer evening outside.

"Hmm… It looks like it'll be a little difficult… But not really one we can't handle…" Arthur mused, scanning the paper while he walked through the pedestrian in a quiet shopping district, until he arrived in front of a shabby two story apartment.

The apartment was once painted white, but now the paint had peeled in various spot and stained from rain water. The gates are rusty and stained, and it creaked when Arthur opened it. Overally, the building looked quite abandoned, although it's not. Arthur's team's headquarter was located inside, and there were also a few other tenants as well.

Arthur walked through the shabby front door, and climbed the stairs to the second floor. The sound of water trickling through the broken ceiling accompanied the sound of his footsteps, along with the sound of muffled bickering from a certain apartment from the room at the end of the corridor.

Arthur sighed and knocked the door. "Open up, you guys!" Arthur shouted.

The muffled bickering stopped, and sudden footsteps echoed towards the door. The door opened, revealing a young girl with short blonde hair accentuated with a dark blue ribbon.

"Ah, Arthur-san. Welcome home," the girl greeted Arthur shyly.

"Thanks, Liechtenstein. I take it that Vash and Gilbert were bickering again?" Arthur stepped into the room.

The apartment was quite big, although it was shabby. Despite the shabbiness, the room inside was immaculately tidy. Not a speck of dust was visible, due to Arthur's habit to clean everything, everywhere, and at any time. The apartment had two bedrooms; one for the girls, Liechtenstein and Seychelles; and one for Vash, Gilbert, and Kiku. Arthur himself slept in the sitting room, on one of the old sofas.

Arthur, accompanied by Liechtenstein, walked into the dining room, where the team always discussed their latest mission. It has a big table, where everyone would sit when they had a meeting. On the wall, a big LCD screen was perched, connected to a high-tech laptop which belongs to Kiku. A mini bar sat at the end of the room, beside a door that opened into the kitchen

On the table, a total ruckus was happening. Vash looked like he was about to beat Gilbert into a bloody pulp, while Gilbert seemed like he was about to explode as well, with his flustered face. They panted heavily, sweat trickling down their skin.

"Hey, hey, what the hell's happening in here!? We've got a mission, and instead of preparing for it, you guys were fighting like this?" Arthur tried to calm them down. "Vash, calm down, go wash your face. Gilbert, you help me prepare for our mission."

Vash stomped out of the dining room, leaving Arthur and Gilbert. Liechtenstein followed her brother, trying to calm him down.

"My, my. Are they done yet?" A tan skinned girl with long brown hair tied into two pony tails walked into the room.

"Seychelles. Please prepare some tea for us," Arthur asked her while he laid all the documents he managed to obtain on the table.

"Beer for me," Gilbert muttered as he scanned the documents while he wiped his sweat with his hand.

Seychelles walked to the kitchen, leaving the two guys alone.

"So, what happened anyway?" Arthur asked Gilbert calmly.

"Nothing. It's just me teasing him about something," Gilbert muttered, his face blushed. It always makes him nervous whenever Arthur started to talk like this.

"You slapped his arse again?" Arthur's brow furrowed.

"Ummm… Sort of…?" Gilbert muttered again. "How do you…"

"Whenever I saw Vash lost control like that, I knew that you must've done something like that," Arthur half smiled. "Just make sure that you don't do such a thing whenever we've got an important mission."

Seychelles entered the dining room once more, binging along a heavy tray filled with three cups of tea, a cup of coffee, a glass of juice, and a very frosty looking glass of beer. Arthur left the papers and helped her setting the tray on the dining table. Meanwhile, Kiku entered the dining room, bringing a heavy suitcase filled with all his computing stuffs.

"Arthur-san, I've researched quite a lot of stuffs about Alfroskaya Office building," said the Japanese, pulling an USB from the pocket of his white hoodie.

"Excellent. Now, we've got all we need!" Arthur beamed as he received the USB from Kiku. Then, he turned on the laptop and the LCD on the wall, and plugged in the flash disk into one of the ports on the laptop. As he waited for the OS to start, Arthur reached for a cup of tea from the tray, and sipped it, inhaling its aromatic scent.

"Kiku, I've managed to obtain some information as well. Please take a look at it."

"Sure," Kiku took one of the papers from the table.

Suddenly, Vash entered the dining room with Liechtenstein by his side. Arthur turned around, looking alarmed. But his expression was perfectly calm, so Arthur turned back to the laptop to check on the datas.

"Arthur, I've prepared the equipment we'll need. I've put it in the sitting room," Vash said.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, Vash," Arthur replied, feeling reassured that Vash had regained his calmness.

The team continued their discussion, until about three hours later at 9 o' clock.

"Looks like that's all we need. Okay, then, let's recite our plan once more," Arthur tapped on the table, slightly impatient. "Vash, Gilbert, you guys will…"

"We'll be the decoy. When we arrived, we'll disguise ourselves as janitors. Then, we'll check on the police's plans," Vash recited.

"Okay. Seychelles, you..?"

"I'll disguise as one of the employees there, and I'll pretend to be sick and needed help from the two janitors. After you managed to obtain the papers, you'll give them to me, and the three of us shall leave the building," Seychelles recited her parts carefully.

"Okay. Kiku…?"

"I'll go to the roof together with you, and once you've located the safety keeping, I'll hack it using my computer. After that, I'll disguise myself as one of the employees and go downstairs and pretend to go home," Kiku recited.

"Okay, then. As for me, I'll use my usual way of escape," Arthur pointed out.

The team nodded, understood. "Okay, then. Let's go!" Arthur stood up and walked to the door, the team followed obediently, bringing various equipments with them.

"Mina-san, be careful, okay?" Liechtenstein stood by the door, smiling shyly.

"Thanks, Liechtenstein. We will," Arthur smiled.

"We must," added Vash, his mouth pressed into a tight line.

**A/N: Well, then. That's it for Chapter 1! Thanks if you've read this stupid fic, and I'm sorry if there's any grammatical mistakes, or some OOCness. Reviews greatly appreciated, so please give me some! Not too demanding, right?**

**[Edit] So yeah, once a lot of people started to complain about the name usage, I've started to realize how stupid I am. I mean, the summary and the story don't get along correctly! So I've edited and posted the newest version of the first chapter… Hopefully you'll forgive me for all my stupid mistakes ==**

**PS. I haven't got any names for Liechtenstein and Seychelles, but hopefully I'll come up with something.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Oh, damn it. DAMN IT!!! What the hell is this stupid teenager doing here?! He looked like he's barely twenty years old! His eyes, the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen, were wide with surprise, and his mouth was slightly agape. His cheeks were still slightly chubby, like a teenager's and it's accentuated with a pinkish blush.

I shook my head, remembering my mission. My teammates were trapped inside this damn building, and it's my job to get all of them out safely in one piece.

I slipped one of my instruments through the narrow gap on the window frame. Then, I gouged it open quickly.

Meanwhile, the blue-eyed boy was still standing agape like a moron. I pushed the window silently and jumped inside, and then I removed the clasps of the ropes from my belt. The ropes rolled back upwards, pulled by Kiku.

I really don't want to hurt the boy. His eyes were huge and his mouth was agape; he looked like an innocent little child who accidentally met a fairy or some kind of magical creature, only to find out that it was actually a beast. While he's still confused, I swung my leg swiftly and kicked his stomach, just hard enough to make him pass out.

The boy, startled by my attack, collapsed on the floor. His blue eyes were still wide open, filled with disbelief. I regretted what I did to him, but I've got a job to be done.

I darted through the door, when suddenly I lost my balance and crashed onto the floor. What the bloody hell…?

"That was… For your… kick…" the boy whispered with difficulty, yet his eyes shone brightly, his lips curved into a mischievous smile. He was lying on the floor, panting heavily, clearly in pain because of my kick. His right hand, I noticed, were wrapped around my left ankle.

I scowled, because his stupid smile actually intrigued me slightly. I yanked my feet, hard. Yet, the boy didn't let go, his grip not even loosening. I sighed heavily, and turned my head towards the boy.

"This is your last chance," I warned the boy, smirking slightly. "Don't blame me after this."

The boy's smile didn't falter, his grip grew tighter. "A hero can't let a bad guy get away!!" he whispered, his voice stronger than before.

I smirked wider. _Hero…? _Gosh, kids these days. "Well, suit yourself," I told him.

Then, I launched my hardest kick to his face, successfully cracking his glasses. Blood spurted from his nose, and tiny pieces of glass burst from his glasses.

"OW!!!" The boy screamed in pain, releasing his grip immediately. He held his nose gingerly, blood dripping everywhere.

I stood up swiftly, and I ran into the empty corridor outside, careful to not make any unnecessary sound. I ran to the end of the corridor, and I reached for my walkie-talkie.

"Vash, Gilbert!!! Where are you guys?!" I whispered furiously into my talkie.

"We're down in the third floor. The police had successfully been led into a false track, and me and Vash had managed to disguise ourselves," Gilbert's voice issued from the talkie.

"Good, then stay alert. I'm off to get the documents," I whispered back while running down the stairs and darted through the empty corridors. The polices must've gone to the lower story to catch Gilbert and Vash. Finally, I arrived in front of a simple wooden door, painted dull gray with a wooden sign 'Private' on hung in front of it. This must be the room.

I fumbled with one of the map Austria gave me earlier, checking my route. Yep, this is the place.

Once again, I slipped one of my handy lock-opener into the key-hole. I turned it around for a while, and finally the lock clicked and gave away. I turned the handle and opened the door quickly and I slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind me.

I turned to face a big safety vault. I examined it the door carefully, and I found a keypad where I should enter the password.

"Kiku," I called into another walkie-talkie I've brought. "I've found the vault here. It got some sort of lock here, I bet it's computerized."

"Bingo," Kiku's smug voice issued from the talkie in my hand. Sounds of Kiku's fingers hitting the keyboard swiftly issued, followed by his voice. "I've cracked it. It should be opened."

As if on cue, the door swung open, revealing stacks of documents.

"Kiku?" I whispered into my talkie. "Which one is it?"

"Row number fifteen, number five," Kiku answered. "The title is 'Alliances'. That's the one Ukraine-san requested."

Immediately, I rummaged carefully through the overloaded stacks. After I found the right row, I managed to extract the folder of documents I needed with difficulty. But, thankfully, I managed to obtain the right folder. It was yellow, with thick specks of dust as a result of years of neglect. I blew the folder, causing clouds of dusts to float upwards.

After finally managed to obtain the thing, I closed the safety vault carefully. After checking to make sure that the coast is clear, I ran through the empty corridor outside, not forgetting to close the door silently. "Vash, Gilbert! Have you got Seychelles yet?" I whispered to my talkie.

After a deathly silence for a few seconds, finally Vash replied. "Yes. Have you managed to get the documents?" He asked with his voice strained slightly.

"Yes. Now where are you guys?" I replied.

"Up in the ninth floor."

"I'll go there, then," I promised, and then switched the talkie to Kiku's line. "Kiku, are you there?"

"Yes. You've got the documents?" Kiku's calm voice issued from the talkie, effectively soothing my nerves down.

"Yep. You can start moving now," I replied.

"Roger, Captain."

Well then, finally one problem solved. Now, I gotta get all of us outta here safely!! Forcing my feet to my fullest, I bolted through the empty corridors and climbed up to the ninth floor to meet Seychelles and the others. I nearly run into a few patrolling police, but thankfully I managed to not get caught. Finally, after a painstaking effort, I managed to found the trio, in an empty corridor in the ninth floor.

"You guys okay?" I asked cautiously. "No problem along the way?"

"Yes, we're okay. I just had some trouble finding these two," Seychelles pouted. "Although I did managed to find them after I heard their voices, arguing terribly loud about some stuff."

I turned to Gilbert and Vash, both faces blushing with embarrassment. I frowned with irritation and said, "I thought we already agreed that whenever we're on a mission, we've got to _focus_?"

Neither of them answered, just continued to stare at the floor.

"Well, anyway," I continued, still slightly irritated by their childish act. "Seychelles, I've got the documents here. You guys can leave straight away."

I handed the folder to Seychelles, who wrinkled her nose slightly upon seeing the dirty, dust-clad folder. "Don't fret, now take them," I frowned slightly.

After covering her hand with some tissue, she took the folder reluctantly and stuffed it immediately into her briefcase. "Well, then. I guess we're done here?" She asked.

"Yes. Now go!" I exclaimed.

The three of them ran past me, to the elevator. After the sound of their feet disappeared, I bolted again to the stairs, climbing up until I finally managed to get onto the roof again. This time, it was completely empty. Kiku must've left a while ago, thank God. He left the equipment needed on the roof, so I can escape on my own after making sure that none of my team member was still left in the damn building.

I grabbed my talkie, and flipped through the channel until I managed to get to Kiku's.

"Kiku, are you out yet?" I asked, feeling slightly nervous that he might've met some trouble along the way.

"Yes," Kiku's untroubled voice issued from the talkie. "I'm in the car now. Should I get you before we get those three?"

"Yes, just wait a moment; I'm checking on those three."

"Sure, take your time."

I flipped the channel again, this time trying to talk to Vash, Gilbert, and Seychelles.

"Vash?" I whispered tentatively.

For a few terrifying moment, nobody answered, but then, thankfully, Vash's voice issued from the talkie.

"We're done. You can escape now," Vash's voice issued. "We'll be waiting in the lobby for you to get us."

Sighed with relief, I turned the talkie off. I walked to the middle of the roof and started to set up the equipment. Once more, I twisted the strong iron ropes left by Kiku around my torso, making sure that it's strong enough to hold the momentum. After I'm done, once more I walked to the edge of the roof, ready to jump down. Before I managed to jump, though, suddenly the door leading to the roof banged open, revealing none other than that blondie I kicked before.

His nose was plastered now, the plaster got blood stains on them. His glasses were gone, no longer perched on his nose, revealing his bright azure eyes. Those eyes were now filled with anger; his smile was no longer there on his face. And to make it worse, he held a gun on his hand.

"STAY THERE, YOU CRIMINAL!" He roared; his voice slightly hoarse.

"And what if I don't?" I challenged, smirked a little as I stepped onto the edge of the roof.

His face paled upon realizing my intention. "JUMP, AND I'LL SHOOT YOU!" He screamed; his voice harsher than before.

My smirk widened. "You're just a kid. You've never fired a gun in your live, have you? I can see that from you posture."

He stiffened upon my statement, and he held his gun slightly tighter. I can see beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Well, take your time then," I said mockingly. "I've got plenty of other things to do."

Without waiting for his reply, I jumped in an efficient leap, embracing the cool night air. Once more, the overwhelming sensation embraced my body, the wind whipping furiously around me. This time, though, I let myself down much further than before, low enough for me to jump to the ground without suffering serious injuries.

Once I got down, I removed the clasps of the rope from my belt and jumped to the concrete. I was standing on the back of the building, which was completely empty except of some rats scurrying around the trash dump. I pursed my lips in disgust, and then immediately headed to the place where Kiku parked the car. Thankfully, the car was still there, complete with Kiku in it. He was listening to his iPod and typing some stuff on his laptop.

"Oi, Kiku," I knocked on the windows.

"Oh, Arthur-san. Ready to go?" Kiku pulled his earphone off his ears, staring at me.

"Yeah," I said as I stepped into the car and immediately lounged on the car seats on the back. I sighed complacently, relieved to be able to rest my head for a while. Meanwhile, Kiku had set his laptop aside and started the car. Slowly, the car started to move towards the entrance of the Alfroskaya Office Building. Then, the car screeched to a stop in front of the lobby, where Gilbert, Vash, and Seychelles awaits. Sighing with relief, the three got into the car, unnoticed by a group of polices pacing in the front lobby.

"So," Gilbert said as he lounged on the car seat, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Are we done yet?"

"Yes," I smirked. "Unless you wanted more."

The car gained speed, leaving the Alfroskaya Office Building behind us.

* * * * *

"So," Wang started. "You had failed in your first mission, aru."

I winced at his blunt words. "You don't need to state that. I knew it already," I frowned slightly as I pressed the cold bag of ice onto my nose. That villain's kick was harder than I expected, although thankfully it didn't broke my nose. Still, the painful truth still made me irritated.

I failed. In my _first _mission, for God's sake.

It didn't _feel_ right. Heroes were supposed to be the side who won, not the bad guys. That was just completely unacceptable. And what made it worse was _that; _the fact that I can't shoot even when the villain was right in front of me. That was ridiculous! Heroes are supposed to kill bad guys. There's no hero who can't even shoot his enemy.

"So, who is this guy you met anyway, ve~?" Feliciano asked, his brows furrowed in curiosity.

"I don't know. I guess he must've been the boss," I said as I recalled the man. His wild emerald eyes, his choppy sandy blond hair, his small stature… I guess the reason why I couldn't shoot was because I couldn't think of him as the bad guy. Somehow, his appearance just couldn't fit with the bad guy image; except for his eyes, though. His eyes were wild, untamed, a complete opposite of his small, slightly fragile-looking build. They were mocking, ridiculing, jeering, taunting, yet also teasing and tempting at the same time. I shook my head vigorously to get the memory of those creepy eyes off.

"Well, what should we do now?" Matthew asked, his expression worried.

"We'll wait for the orders from the higher-ups, aru," said Wang. "Let's just hope that we won't get demoted after this entire ruckus."

We were standing in the concrete parking lot of Alfroskaya Office Building, anxious after the disastrous mission. Half the men had already left, while half were still examining the building. I checked my watch with difficulty, since I'm not wearing my glasses. That jerk's kick cracked the glass, and effectively snapped my glasses into two clean pieces.

"So, it's eleven o' clock already," I said. "Should we stay?"

"Yes, Alfred," said Wang. "We should; it's our mission after all, aru."

I sighed painfully, and finally said, "Anyone care for a hamburger or two?"

* * *

**A/N: That's it for chapter two! Much shorter than the first, and maybe you'll find it more boring. Yeah, I sucked so badly at writing action. I guess it's not really my forte… And starting from this chapter, I'm doing this fic with first person POV. Oh, and sorry for the fact that it still got an awful lot of grammatical mistakes! I haven't been able to find a Beta (to black-klepon, you don't count as an official beta anyway)! Well anyway, constructive criticism will be greatly welcome!! :D**

**Ps. I'm still racking my brain for Seychelles and Liechtenstein's name… Got any suggestions? XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"What?"

"You heard me, Alfred. We're not fired, aru," Wang said, irritation coloured his voice.

"YEEHAAW!!" I shouted as I jumped and punched the air. Beside me, Mattie was completely stunned. His expression showed extreme disbelief at our apparently unbelievable luck.

"You're sure, Wang?" He said with his voice a little unsure.

"Yep, I'm one hundred percent sure," Wang half-smiled. "But don't get too excited, aru. Alfred, the Chief wanted to meet you."

I stopped mid-track in my celebration. "The _Chief_?" I asked with horror.

"Yeah, and I mean like, _right now_, Alfred," Wang frowned slightly.

I froze in my seat, my heartbeat started to escalate. If we're not fired, then why the hell the Chief wanted to meet me? I hoped that _I _won't be demoted for my failure as a leader at our last mission. That _horrible _mission, where I failed miserably for not being able to shoot when the bad guy was right there in front of my nose.

Sighing painfully, I stood up and walked slowly to the door; Wang and Mattie's sympathetic gaze followed me as I opened the door and closed it behind my back. Outside in the empty corridor, I straightened my back up and tried to tidy up my uniform. After unable to make my tie completely straight three times in a row, I gave up and just walked through the corridor to the Chief's office, right in the corner.

I've never met the Chief before. From what I've heard, he was an awesome police, always became the hero of the day. He's exactly the figure I was striving to be.

After I arrived in front of his door, I gulped and knocked it three times. "Come in," a reply issued from inside. I breathed in deeply, opened the door, and entered the room.

"Lieutenant Jones?" A soft voice greeted me.

I stiffened and saluted, "Lieutenant Jones, reporting for duty, Sir."

In front of me, sat a young man of about twenty years old or so. His expression was gentle, one that didn't really fit in with the image of a Chief of Police. His chin-length dark brown hair framed his soft face. On the whole, he didn't look like how I imagined him all this time.

"Very pleased to meet you," The man smiled warmly. "My name is Toris Lorinaitis, but you can just call me Toris."

"Really?" I blurted out before I can hold myself. My face blushed like mad as I realized what I just said. _God, why can't I hold my mouth just this once? _I thought, irritated at myself.

Toris laughed gently and said, "Yes, it's fine. Our age weren't much different anyway. Now, please sit down."

I scratched my nose, feeling deeply embarrassed at myself. My face was still red hot as I sat in the chair in front of Toris's desk.

"Now, Lieutenant Jones," said Toris with a more serious tone. "I've seen your report on your first duty as a Lieutenant. It is very much regrettable that you've failed in your first mission."

I held my breath, my heartbeat started to escalate. _Here goes nothing…_

"However, I have decided to give you a second chance."

"WHAT!?" I shouted before I realized. "I mean… THANK YOU!!"

Toris smiled, then he continued, "To repay for your first mistakes, I have given your team a new assignment, Lieutenant Jones."

I fidgeted in my seat, unable to contain my excitement. I can't believe that the Chief actually trusted me enough to give me another mission after I failed in my first one. "What is it?" I asked nervously.

"I want you to find these documents, Alfred," Toris said bluntly. "I'll give you as many people as you want. Just make sure that you find those documents."

"It's that important?" I asked, my curiosity started to build up.

"Yes. The director of Alfroskaya Tradings Ltd had asked me herself to find these documents no matter what happened," said Toris. "If you clashed with those robbers again, Alfred, don't hesitate. Annihilate them if you must, but capture them if you can."

"Yes, Chief!" I replied with excitement.

"Good. Off you go, then."

"Yes, Sir!!" I saluted and turned to leave the room. Behind me, Toris half-smiled.

* * *

"So how is it, ve~?" Feliciano asked nervously.

"We're back in action, guys!" I shouted, clapping Feliciano on the back. I grinned wide, the weight now lifted off my chest. "A new mission waits for us!!" I continued.

My team stood agape, unable to believe my words. Wang's hand – which held a pair of chopsticks with noodles on them – stopped mid-air, and Mattie squeezed his teddy bear so hard that its eyes were about to pop out. I laughed brightly at their funny expressions. "Come on, guys! Aren't we supposed to be celebrating for this!?" I exclaimed cheerfully.

Matthew held his breath and stuttered, "Is… Is it true?"

"_Yes, _for God's sake. Is it really that hard to believe?" I frowned slightly, his pessimism starting to grate on my nerves.

It was silent for a moment, and then cheers erupted in the small room. Wang threw his chopsticks and noodle back on the bowl on top of his desk and started dancing some kind of a war dance, jabbering in Chinese while doing that. Mattie stayed calm, but his grip on his teddy bear slackened a little, and his expression became less tense than before.

"So what is our next mission, Alfred?" Feliciano beamed.

"It's actually kind of related to our previous mission. Hold on a minute," I said as I extracted an envelope Toris gave me before I left his office. "Here, let's read it together."

I opened the envelope, cleared my throat, and started to read the paper inside. Mainly, it described our next mission, and how the director of Alfroskaya Trading Ltd had asked for the police's help to retrieve the documents. The team listened to it with growing interest. When I was finished, I asked them, "Well, what do you guys think?"

"This document must be very important," Mattie mused. "I mean, permission to annihilate them… That was kind of…"

"Well, that means we have to do our best in this one, aru," said Wang, his expression intent. "We can't afford to fail once more."

"Don't worry guys. We won't fail," I said as I gritted my teeth. "Besides, I've got a payback to be done."

* * *

We were sitting, once more, in the empty café in the outskirts of Lussalia. This time, though, we were here to give the documents we retrieved to Katyusha-san, who was sitting nervously in front of me. "Here you go, Katyusha-san," I smiled as I handed over the folder – which had been cleaned by Seychelles once we got home after the mission – to Katyusha.

I noticed that Katyusha's eyes grew wide with fear when she scanned the contents of the documents, but then she covered it with a smile. "Thank you so much, Kirkland-san. This is exactly what I've been looking for!" she said gratefully, but I can tell from her tone that her gratitude was slightly forced to cover her agitation.

I decided that it's not particularly wise to keep the girl for too long, so I smiled back to her and said, "No problem, Katyusha. Anytime you needed help again, just contact us."

"Oh, thank you! And before I forget…" Katyusha rummaged through her handbag and withdrew a thick brown envelope. Then, she gave it to me. "I hope it's enough." She continued, her smile turned slightly unsure.

I decided against opening the envelope, and tucked it safely inside my jacket. "I'm sure it will," I smiled warmly to Katyusha. Around me, though, my teammates rolled their eyes, for they know how nagging I usually am about money. It's not like I'm greedy or something; it's just that I can't bear when people paid us an amount of money that worth much less than the service we gave them. Our work involves a lot of danger, and I can't let people just pay us cheaply for involving ourselves in that danger.

"Now, I'm sorry to say that I'm really in a hurry," Katyusha smiled slightly. "I'm going to leave now; thank you so much for your help!" Then she tucked the folder into her bag and stood up. She headed to the door and left without a backward glance, but I saw that her face wore that agitated expression she wore earlier.

"Now, Artie! Gimme my moneeey!!" Gilbert grinned, and slacked back on his chair.

"That girl's up to something," I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "And certainly it's not something small, if you see her face earlier."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Vash leaned forward, his expression slightly confused. "I just hoped that whatever business she got herself in, it won't drag us in it as well."

"Aww, come on, guys! We just finished a particularly hard mission, and all you guys wanna do is wasting time on such things?!" Gilbert pouted, his expression irritated. Chelle smacked his head hard to silence his continuous stream of complains. "Ow!! What the hell…" Gilbert cried out in pain.

"Shut your mouth a little! This is serious!" Chelle snapped with irritation. "We certainly can't afford to have mafia or such chasing us all across the country; right, Arthur?"

"Yes. I just hoped that we won't get into such a situation," I said, my voice heavy with worry.

Gilbert's pout didn't slacken, and he started again, "I still want my money here!"

"Oh, for God's sake…" I groaned, seriously irritated at the nonstop whining from him. "Okay, okay. Here, I'll just start dividing our share in this mission, 'kay?"

I pulled out the envelope Katyusha gave me earlier and opened it. "Wow," my breath hitched from surprise.

"What? How many did she pay?" Gilbert asked; his red eyes grew wide with excitement. Even Vash looked a little bit more hopeful.

"It's certainly enough for all of us to live quite comfortably for a few months," I smiled as I pulled out the thick content of the envelope. The other gasped at the amount of money that sat on top of the wooden coffee table. I saw Roderich peeked from the counter to see, and I saw his eyes grew considerably huge after he saw what lay on the table.

"I'd want my share as well, Kirkland!" He said sharply.

"Yes, yes. Everybody will get their fair share," I mumbled with irritation. "Just be patient, okay?"

After about an hour of arguing over the damn money, finally everybody was satisfied with their share. Without any hesitation, Gilbert snatched away his share and tucked it tenderly into his worn-out wallet, but Vash, Kiku, and Chelle stared into their share with a worried look etched on their face.

"What's the matter?" I asked, slightly confused at their expression. "Is it not enough? I can give you more if you wanted to, but..."

"It's not that," Chelle cut across my sentence, her expression worried. "It's just that... I noticed that your share is much more less than ours."

"Oh," my eyes grew wide. I can't believe that somebody actually noticed that.

"Yes, I noticed that as well. In fact, you always gave yourself a much more less share than ours every time we finished our mission, Arthur-san," said Kiku, who had been considerably silent throughout our debate over the money.

My cheeks blushed slightly, and I'm trying hard to cover my embarrassment. "Look, can't you just take your share? My share's already fair enough for me," I said, trying to sound irritated.

"But I thought you still had Peter to take care of?" said Vash sharply.

"Yes, and I believe that this money is fairly enough to cover for our needs," I said indignantly, my cheeks flushed. "Look, I'm completely okay with my share, so drop it will you!?"

They grew silent after my sudden outburst, thank God; although I could sense that those three were still unsatisfied. "Well, then, there's no point to stay here any longer, so let's go," I said as I stood up. I walked to the counter and dropped an envelope to it. "Here's your share, Roderich. And pass my regard to Elizaveta, okay?" I said.

"Yes, I will. Thanks for this anyway," He said as he wiped his precious cups, his expression slightly annoyed at my statement before.

The others stood up, tucking their money safely into their wallets. I nodded to them, and we walked out from the empty cafe; Roderich's gaze followed us as we walked to the door.

Outside, the warm summer breeze blew gently, and the sun had set over the horizon, casting shadows over Lussalia. "Well, I guess it's time for us to part once more," I started as I gazed at the setting sun. "I'll contact you guys again when we got another mission."

They nodded at my statement, and then we broke apart and walked along separate ways; the night starting to fall around us.

* * *

"Peter! I'm hooome!!"

"Whaat? You're home already!?" A teenager of about thirteen years old ran into the living room, his expression a mixture of disbelief and disappointment. "You said you're gonna be away for days!" He pouted, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Shut up. I said I'm going away for about two days or so, so deal with it," I snapped with irritation as I put my bag on the cluttered coffee table. "And anyway, it seems that you've done quite a good job messing this place while I was away."

"I got Raivis over," He told me indignantly. "You said it's okay when I told you before you left!"

"Yes, but that didn't necessarily mean you can create this big mess, you moron," I groaned as my eyes scanned the room to find out how much damage had occurred in it. The coffee table was cluttered with empty soda cans and empty Chinese food boxes, and a reasonable amount of video games were strewn on the floor while its console sat with its cable tangled. "_What _is this?" I said disgustedly as I lifted the empty Chinese food box with my thumb and index finger. "I think I've never gave you any permission to dispose any trash in the living room!"

"It's just an empty Chinese food box, Arthur," Peter rolled his eyes. "It's not a bomb, or something like that."

"I don't care what it is. I want you to clean this room, _right now_! Am I clear?" I dictated with irritation.

"Yes sir…" He grumbled as he started to tidy the strewn video games.

Sighing painfully, I lifted my bag and stumbled to my bedroom on the end of the corridor from the living room. I saw Peter glanced at me, his expression slightly worried. I smiled slightly as I opened the door leading into my bedroom. Peter was not easy to handle; being my brother, he's got my stubbornness and sometimes he's whiny. But mostly, since our parents' death, we were able to cooperate quite easily, especially after he was nearly taken away before I managed to won the custody of him.

Inside my room, I dropped my bag to my bed and started emptying its content. I dumped all the dirty laundries on a basket I've prepared especially for it, put my toiletries on my table, and put my bag into my wardrobe. I sighed as I lounged on my bed, enjoying the comfort after having to sleep on a cheap couch last night. I closed my eyes, my mind started to drift away… Until they finally got into the memory of _that _boy.

"Oh, God…" I groaned as I rolled on my back, trying my best to get my mind off the damn brat. What the hell's wrong with me?

Instead of getting calmer, I found my mind drifting to the boy again. His azure eyes, his curiously innocent expression, his… Okay, I've got to stop. I hate that kid, especially since he managed to caught me off guard, although it was only for a few second. No _kid's _allowed to caught _Arthur Kirkland _off guard! Satisfied with the thought, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep for a while.

After about an hour or so, I woke up. I shook my head, trying to get the sleepy feeling off my head. When I went out from my room, the living room had become spotlessly clean. I smiled slightly; Peter might be whiny whenever he has to clean up, but he's good at it. "Peter?" I called out.

"Yeah?" his voice issued from his room. "What's wrong?"

"You can just order pizza or something; I'm gonna go out," I replied.

"REALLY? That's awesome! OW!!" muffled voices issued from his room, followed by a dull _thump_. It sounded like he just rolled off his bed and fell down.

I smiled slightly, and I went back to my room. I snatched my jacket and wallet; combed my hair slightly so it won't look too weird, and then I left the apartment. Unlike the apartment that I used as the headquarters, the apartment that Peter and I lived in was located near the center of Lussalia, although it's still quite cheap and a lot less big in size. It's located – conveniently – near one of the shopping district in town.

I walked into one of the big supermarket there, remembering that there's a discount there for a few days. There are quite a few things that had ran out of supply in the apartment, such as milk, egg, soap, and such. I've never left the shopping business to Peter; he's just too dimwitted to remember anything that I told him to buy, although mysteriously he never forgets the cheats he used whenever he's playing video games.

I entered the supermarket, grateful to escape the hot and humid summer air outside. The air conditioner cooled down my body as I walked through the racks, searching for the things I needed. I grabbed a trolley, although I really didn't need to. I've never bought too many things whenever I went shopping, since I'm way too poor to just waste my money carelessly. Sometimes I would buy some snack for Peter, but other than that, I sticked to the shopping list I've made.

After I asked one of the employees where I can find some fresh eggs, I headed there immediately. When I arrived there, however, there's somebody wearing a brown bomber jacket that's blocking the rack. It seemed that he was also looking for some eggs. I tapped his shoulder and said politely, "Excuse me, but you're blocking the way."

The guy turned around, revealing his plastered nose and azure blue eyes. I froze up as I recognized the figure, recognizing his nose that I've kicked less than a day ago. _Oh, crap…

* * *

_

"Okay, then. I guess that's it for today. You guys can go home."

"Really? I'll be off with Ludwig then, ve~" said Feliciano cheerfully, his lips turned into a wide grin.

"Yeah, I think we're done. I'm sure we'll be able to nail those robbers if we meet them again," I said cheerfully, optimism coloured my voice.

The four of us had been working for hours on our new awesome plan on how to deal with those villainous robbers whenever we faced them again. The plan was finally finished just moments ago, and the script now sat on my desk. It was super awesome as usual; full of action and knocking off bad guys. Indeed, we had to cut some awesome part, but mostly it's still awesome!

Mattie sighed on his chair, leaning back and started to yawn. "Wow, it's eight o'clock already?" He said as he glanced to his watch.

"Well, then. I shall be off, aru. I've got Im Yong Soo and Kiku to take care of," Wang declared as he grabbed his jacket and put it on. "Kiku said he should've arrived home today."

"Kiku? That Japanese cousin of yours?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah, he's no big deal compared to that dimwit Im Yong Soo. That kid's pretty quiet," Wang sighed painfully as he grabbed his bag. "Well, see you guys later then, aru."

As Wang left the room followed by Feliciano, Mattie and I started packing our stuffs. "Should I keep this with me?" Mattie asked, waving the paper filled with our plan.

"Yeah, sure," I replied; I'm poor at keeping my things. If I keep that paper, it'll probably be gone by tomorrow.

After a few minutes, we turned off the lights in the room and closed the door. Then, we headed outside and left the police station. "Wanna get something to eat?" I offered to Mattie.

"No thanks, Alfred. I think I'll pass today," Mattie smiled and left me alone, walking to the opposite direction to find a taxi.

I shrugged and left the building, going to the nearest shopping district to find McDonalds. There's nothing better than a hamburger after a tiring day at work. After I arrived at the district, however, I remembered that I had run out of eggs and several other stuffs at home. Knowing myself, I decided to go to the supermarket before I have my dinner.

I walked to the supermarket, and entered the building. It was cool inside, the air conditioner blew hard. I shivered slightly and decided to put on my trusty bomber jacket. I pulled the worn-out jacket from my backpack and put it on to protect me from the severely cold air conditioning in the supermarket. I always hated cold air; it reminded me of my childhood in the northern part of the country, where it was always cold.

After I searched through the racks to find eggs, I finally found it; located in the back of the supermarket. I scoured the rack for the best package of eggs, when suddenly someone tapped my shoulder and said with a polite voice, ""Excuse me, but you're blocking the way."

I thought that I recognized the voice, but whose is it? I turned around to find out and there, right in front of me, stood the emerald eyed thief.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you, THANK YOU so much for you guys who had reviewed before, especially you guys that had give me very constructive critics! I owe you guys BIG TIME! Well anyway, so I had decided the name for Seychelles (Chelle). I had avoided the name since it sounded like the nickname of one of my friends from school, but I've been so confused so I decided to take the name anyway. I've been debating myself for the name (I've got some like, Adelle, Annabelle, Arielle, Clemence, Clementina, Solaine, Simone, Soleil, Ciel, Chelle****... *yawn*), my head felt like it's about to explode ==" Oh, and for Liechtenstein I've got some ideas like Lily, Lilli, Lillie, Liesl, and Liech... I think I'll take Liesl, since people in Liechtenstein usually used German-origin names. Well anyway, see you in the next chapter! =D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Uh –oh. Oh crap, I am _so _dead right now. I really didn't know if fate had played some horrible trick with me, or if it's pure bad luck. I mean, come on! It would take seriously weird coincidence that I somehow managed to meet the damn police I kicked yesterday here! Dear God, what had I done _wrong_? Did I murder some defenceless little girl in my past live or something!?

Just like when I first met him, the boy stood agape, as moronic as ever. Blood started to rush to his face, causing his cheeks to blush like mad. "Wha… You…" he stuttered helplessly. I can't help but to laugh when I saw his incredulous look. When I started to chuckle, however, his expression grew dangerous.

Deciding that it's really not wise to linger, I stopped chuckling at once and started to walk away from the boy. To my disappointment, he actually followed me. He didn't shout at me to freeze and put my hands up, but he just keep on following me all around the supermarket like a large, ghastly bloodhound trailing after my scent. Sighing painfully, I started to move faster, dashing through the racks to outwit the boy. As soon as I managed to get him off my back, I bolted to the exit and got out from the supermarket.

I can't possibly go back home to my apartment; the boy might call his friends and took them here. I shuddered at what they might do to me and Peter. No, I really can't get Peter involved in this damn thing; I got to handle this myself. While I speculated about what I should do, however, the boy had found me and started stalking me again. I bet he's waiting for me to go back home; hoping that he'll be able to catch me and my teammates altogether. I smirked, enjoying the thought about how disappointed the boy will be when he discovered that I don't live with them.

I walked faster, weaving through the crowds walking through the street. Thankfully, I've lived in this area for so many years that I've known all the passages and shortcuts in here. All I have to do is go all around the district to fool the boy. Not a very pleasant plan – it's certainly quite tiring – but it's worth a try. I glanced behind my back; the boy was still trailing in the distance. Thankfully, it didn't look like he had called the police – yet.

"Well, I guess it's time to play hide and seek, boy," I murmured, smirking slightly. I pushed myself forward, and started to run as fast as possible; weaving through the crowd and earning a few curses and fingers. I ignored them and keep on running, turning and moving to confuse the boy. When I encountered my first passage, I dived through the crowd and turned into the dark and empty alley. I ran, avoiding the large puddle of water from a broken plumbing from an apartment beside the alleyway. I glanced and groaned disappointedly; the boy had managed to follow me through the alleyway. However, a moment later he screamed and I heard a dull _thump_. I turned my head and looked backward, and I saw that the boy had slipped over the large puddle and fell on his back. Smirking with satisfaction, I continued to run.

* * *

Gilbert hummed cheerfully, his lips curved into a smile. He was happy – that stodgy Arthur had finally gave him his fair share of money. Finally, after months of starvation, he'll be able to actually eat edible food again. Oh, and the soles of his Converse had holes on them, after non-stop use for months – now he can buy a new pair right away.

Gilbert strolled through the empty street, walking towards his house on the end of the lane. He decided that he would go home and take a nice, hot shower before he goes out to eat and shop. What he didn't notice, however, was a car that stalked after him slowly, following him to his home. As the white haired youth whistled and rummaged his bag for the keys to his front door, the car slowed to a stop, and two men wearing black suits came out. Before he realized what was happening, the first man tackled him – and failed.

"Whoa! What the hell..." Gilbert's eyes grew wide with surprise as he witnessed the two men. The men who had tried to attack him backed down, cursing silently. Gilbert crouched into a fighting stance, his body tensed upon realizing the sudden threat. His little brother had taught him once about martial arts, and Kiku had taught him about that as well, but it was so different when you're just practicing and when you're facing a real danger. "I hope they're not aiming to kill me," Gilbert thought nervously, sweat trickling down his cheek.

The smaller of the two men stepped forward and tackled him; trying to pin him down. Gilbert was surprised at the strength of the man; he was much smaller than him, yet his strength was much bigger. Gilbert swung his hand, trying to push the man from him, but then the second, taller man had dived and smacked him onto the hard concrete, causing his head to throb painfully after its short contact with the ground. And then, the smaller guy smacked the back of his neck; causing his view to grow dark and he fell limp onto the ground.

The taller man dragged him from the ground and put him into the backseat of the car. Gilbert's head was bleeding, and the smaller of the two men noticed the open wound. "Su-san, he's hurt. Shouldn't we fix him right now?" He asked.

"Later, Tino. We'll wait t'll we've arrived," The taller men grunted with a heavy accent. His glasses glimmered in the pale glow of the street lights.

"Well, all right then. But I really don't like the look of that wound," The guy called Tino frowned slightly, his expression worried.

The taller man turned his head toward Tino. "He's goin' t' be fine. Don't worry 'bout it," his voice gentle despite his cold demeanour.

Tino's face lit up slightly, a small smile graced his lips. "Thanks, Berwald," he said. Then suddenly, his mobile phone rang loud and clear, breaking the warm atmosphere. Tino lifted his phone and pressed the 'Enter' button, and then he pressed the phone to his ear. "Väinämöinen speaking here."

Tino nodded slightly, as if answering the question of the caller. "Yes," he said coldly. "Gilbert Weillschmidt has fallen."

* * *

I panted; my breathing heavy with exhaustion. I had run all around this damn shopping district for about half an hour, for absolutely nothing at all. The boy was still chasing me down, and slowly he managed to catch up with me. Fatigue now started to claw on my consciousness; half of me wanted to keep on running, yet now half of me wanted to stop and kicked the boy's arse as hard as I could possibly do. I mean seriously, doesn't he have _any _limit to his energy? Somehow, now it feels like I was having a race against a car that never ran out of gasoline!

Trying my hardest to keep my speed, I take a deep breath, trying to calm down. If I keep running, I know I'll die out of fatigue; but if I slowed down, the boy's gonna catch up and killed me anyway. While I was trying to figure what I should do, suddenly my mobile phone vibrated, indicating an incoming call. _Oh, for God's sake! Why here? Why now?_

I slowed down just a little, enough for me to rummage my pocket and grabbed my mobile phone. I flipped it open, and pressed the 'Receiving' button. Then, I pressed the phone onto my ear. "Hello!?" I shouted furiously, didn't give a damn if the caller feels offended by my harsh tone.

"Kirkland-san!" a panicked voice issued from the speaker of my phone. It sounded like...

"Katyusha!?" I replied, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _What the hell's going on?_

"Kirkland-san, I'm really sorry to bother you again, but..." Katyusha's voice was desperate and panicked, as if she was facing a massive danger. "They're chasing you..!"

"'They'!?" I screamed back. "Who the hell are 'they'!?"

"I can't tell you!" her voice sounded like she was about to cry. "But they're chasing you! And not just you..."

"They... They're chasing the others as well?" I whispered in horror, cold sweat started to trickle down my forehead. "They're targeting all of us..?"

"Yes!" Katyusha answered. "They're chasing me right now, and I'm in my way to escape..! When I was getting to my car to avoid them, I heard one of them said, 'Weillschmidt had fallen.'"

"What!?" I shouted back in horror. "Gilbert had..."

"Yes! So now tell me where you are! I'll come there to pick you up, before they managed to catch you as well!" Katyusha said hurriedly.

"I'm at home; you know where is it, I've texted it to you before," I answered.

"All right then. I'll be there shortly to pick you up!" She said, and then she hung up.

I stared at my phone with horror. Could it be that the police had known that we're behind the robbery yesterday? Impossible! But then who could possibly caught Gilbert in the first place..? Trying to make sure that my hunch was correct, I dialed Vash's mobile phone number and pressed the phone onto my ear. For about a minute, the dialing tone kept on issuing from the speaker, and then a voice answered, "The number you're calling is out of reach. Please try again in a few minutes…"

"Damn!" I swore. I kept on trying to call everyone's mobile; Chelle, Kiku, Liesl, and even Gilbert – just to make sure he was really caught – but no one answered. This is bad, _seriously _bad. I bet this is all the damn Blondie brat's doing! While I wasn't looking, he must've called his fellow police to abduct my friends! Rage started to burn my mind, all my fear evaporated immediately. To my own surprise, I stopped running and turned around, facing the boy who got closer and closer to me.

When he was close enough, I saw that his expression was one of extreme disbelief at his luck. What he didn't know was that I'm about to kill him on the spot. Once he was within strangling distance, I stepped forward and grabbed the collar of his uniform and smacked him on the wall. Although he was bigger than I am, my rage had given me an incredible amount of power to actually pin the boy on the wall.

"_What _did you do to them?" I hissed with rage.

"Uhh… What..?" he mumbled with confusion.

"Answer me, you shit! Or I swear I'll really break your nose this time!" I screamed with rage.

The boy's azure blue eyes grew wide with fear, and he stammered, "I… I'm sorry, but I really don't know what the hell you're talking about! Honestly!"

I didn't know what had gotten into me, but I actually believed what he had told me. I released my grip, and the boy coughed and spluttered. "What's your name!?" I barked to the boy.

"Al… Alfred… Alfred F. Jones," he answered, startled by my outburst.

"Alfred, is it? Now, Alfred," I said sweetly, savoring the boy's confusion. "You can get away now, but if I find out that it was _you _who arranged to capture my friends, I _will_ find you and rip your throat apart. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded hurriedly. I smiled mockingly and turned around, running as fast as possible, leaving the boy alone in the dark alleyway. I headed back to my small apartment, intent to get me and Peter outta there as soon as possible. When I finally got into the apartment, I climbed the stairs onto the floor to my room. I opened the door and locked them, and then I shouted, "PETER! GET HERE THIS INSTANT!"

"What!? What had I done wrong..?" Peter scrambled out from his room sleepily, his sandy blond hair all messy. "I swear, I didn't do a thing…"

"I'm chased," I stated, hoping that for this once he'll understand right away.

To my relief, Peter froze, his face twisted into a horrified expression. "_What!?_" He shouted with disbelief. "By who..?"

"I don't know, but most likely it's the police," I answered, storming to my room to pack my things. "Now hurry up and pack your things. We're leaving right now, unless you'd want to be caught."

"Oh, man…" Peter groaned, but he didn't argue and went straight into his room. Meanwhile, I was packing my stuff into the bag I used earlier that day. I chucked my toiletries, some freshly laundered clothes, and my precious spying instruments into the bag. Then, I left my room and headed to the living room, where Peter was packing his gaming console and enormous amount of video games into his bulging backpack.

"What!?" he frowned when he saw me staring at him incredulously. "I don't want them to steal this; this is my birthday present from you! Besides, I'm finished already." Then, he stood up and put on his backpack.

As if on cue, my mobile phone vibrated. I flipped it open, and hit the 'Receiving' button. "Katyusha?" I answered.

"Kirkland-san, I'm right outside!" Katyusha whispered tensely from the end of the line. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'll be right there," I replied and hit the 'End' button. "Come on, Peter. We're leaving," I said to Peter as I headed to the door. Peter nodded and followed me.

Outside, I saw a sleek black Porsche waits for me. "_What the hell's going on here?_" I , the window opened, revealing Katyusha's terrified face. "Hurry! They're still following me!"

Without further ado, I ran to the car, Peter following behind me. I opened the door, and shoved Peter inside. "Ow! Arthur, that was my head!" he wailed in pain.

"Sorry!" I said hurriedly, and then I entered the car and closed the door. When I looked back, I saw two black cars trailing after us. God, this is bad! Thankfully, Katyusha kicked the gas and the Porsche jolted forward like a cheetah, leaving the two black cars behind.

_Finally._ Now I got to breathe at last.

* * *

Whoa. Seriously, what was that about? One moment the guy was running away all around the shopping district like an antelope, the next he pounced and attacked me like a tiger? Seriously, he was truly unpredictable, even creepy.

I sighed, leaning back against the wall in the dark and empty alleyway. I took off my glasses and wiped the sweat off my forehead, trying to comprehend the incident that had just happened. I was just taking a stroll to the shopping district to have some dinner, decided to go to the supermarket to grab some groceries, and then BAM! Suddenly I met that robber who had successfully smashed my glasses yesterday.

God, I think I need some aspirins.

And, what stressed me out the most that I had once again _failed _to actually capture the thief. Awesome, just so hilariously great! What is the kind of police that can't even shoot his opponent supposed to be called? A loser. A pathetic police-wannabe. It was so very clearly stated that the guy was the villain, but I couldn't bring myself to shoot him or punch him. I couldn't even call the police. Damn it!

After I saw him exploded back there, my curiosity started to arise. _What _had happened to his friend? If something bad had happened, at least I can understand his outburst. His eyes back when he pinned me to the wall… They were wild with worry and confusion; the mocking and taunting looks are gone from them. I'm didn't wanna be in the same side as him, but I know I'd be as worried as he was if anything happened to Matthew or any of my fellow teammates.

Suddenly, my mobile phone rang loud, stopping my train of thought. I pulled the phone from my pocket, and pressed the 'Receive' button. "Hello?" I said, trying unsuccessfully to sound calm.

"Alfred?" Ludwig's voice issued from the speaker. "What's wrong? You sound awful."

"I…" my voice hitched. I've got two options now: tell him about the thief, or keep silent and failed as a police. "Ludwig," I said, my voice hard.

"Yeah, what's the matter?" He asked, his voice slightly worried.

"I've found the thief," I answered without any hesitation.

* * *

**A/N: ANOTHER CHAPTER DONE! God, I really don't know what's on my mind. One minute I just finished the third chapter, the next I thought, 'Hey, let's just work on the next. It won't hurt anyway.' And then **_**voila**_**! After only four hours, I've finished this chapter. My mum nearly killed me for using the computer for too long hahaha w Anyway, see ya in the next chapter, and I hoped you enjoyed this one! ;D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"They escaped?" The tall blond murmured gently.

Toris shuddered, keeping his eyes staring down at the wooden floor beneath him. His boss always scared the hell outta him. His seemingly gentle and cheerful demeanor was merely a mask that covered his true nature. As the head of the biggest mafia family in Lussallia, Ivan Braginski had the cruelty of a child mixed with a fondness for anything particularly dead. Nobody in their right mind would dare to challenge or oppose him.

"Y- Yes, Ivan-sama… Väinämöinen said so," Toris stuttered, chills running down his spine.

Ivan smiled gently, his violet eyes flashed dangerously like a pair of daggers. "Well, it's the second time you failed, da?" He whispered.

"I told you he's no good, Nii-sama," a girl with long silky pale blonde hair murmured coldly. "You should've let me do it myself."

"No, Natalia. You are a very vital part of our joint work. Therefore, it is very important to keep you safely out of danger," Ivan murmured.

Natalia smiled at his statement, and her cheeks blushed visibly.

"But you, Toris," Ivan smiled sweetly. "I'm afraid that you've disappointed me again, and you know that I do not forgive easily."

"Should I dispose him, Nii-sama?" Natalia asked, her fingers pulled a dagger from her gown. Toris's body stiffened immediately, fear clawing at his mind. His instinct told him to run away, but he knew that any effort to escape was futile. Hence, he kept on standing still, waiting for the execution to commence.

"No, Natalia. Toris is an incredibly precious asset for us," Ivan smiled sweetly. "Therefore, he shall not be killed."

Toris almost couldn't believe his luck, but then Ivan continued his sentence, "However, you should know that if you disappoint me once more, I would not hesitate to... Dispose you."

Toris shuddered at the barely concealed threat, and he bowed and excused himself immediately. The last thing he saw was Ivan's serene smile and Natalia gazing adoringly at him.

___

* * *

_

"Alfred? Alfred!"

Someone was calling me, I could hear them. My eyelids fluttered reluctantly, opening my eyes and revealed Ludwig, who was standing in front of me. I shook my head and yawned hugely. I could hear my stomach rumbled like thunder in the distance.

"Wake up, Alfred. You need to stay alert!" Ludwig said impatiently. "Now, don't fall asleep again!"

I struggled to stay awake; sleepiness blanketed my senses like an annoying fog. I glanced at my watch; it was two am in the morning. After Ludwig called me six hours ago, he picked me straight up and sent an army of police to raid the entire district. All the while, I was locked up and interrogated by Ludwig in his office.

"Can't I go home now? I'm tired," I pouted as I ran my hand through my hair.

"No. You will wait here," Ludwig said calmly, ignoring my incredulous look.

I was about to retort when suddenly the phone on Ludwig's desk rang loud and clear. Ludwig snatched the receiver and said, "Captain Ludwig speaking."

As Ludwig continued to chat intensely on the phone, I continued to force my eyes to stay open. I was starting to get impatient; I hadn't eaten anything in the past twelve hours and when I was supposed to have a dinner suddenly I met some crazy thief who smashed my glasses the day before. Now, I'm stuck here and Ludwig just won't let me go.

"You didn't find them?"

My head jerked up in surprise. Ludwig's expression turned incredulous as the caller continued to speak. After a few more minutes of talking and furious snapping, finally Ludwig set down the phone, sighing painfully. He turned to me, his expression weary. "You can go home for now. Just prepare yourself for tomorrow," he stated wearily.

"Huh? What about the investigation? Did they find them?" I asked furiously, unable to accept the fact that I was confined here in this cramped office for six hours for nothing at all.

"You heard me before. Those damn thieves just melted out of sight," Ludwig sighed again. "But there'll be more investigation tomorrow. You can just go for now."

"Oh. So can you _please _explain to me what is the point of getting me confined here for six hours with nothing to eat?" I snapped furiously, my head started to get dizzy because of the lack of sugar intake. "I hadn't eaten anything for twelve hours straight; six of them caused by this stupid and pointless investigation! Can you please tell me what the point is?"

"The point is, Alfred, is to stop being so childish and try to understand that you must cooperate for the greater good! Now stop whining and get out from my office!" Ludwig snapped coldly, his icy blue eyes pierced me like daggers.

I grunted angrily as I stood up and pulled my bomber jacket roughly from the hard wooden chair. Then, I kicked open the door of Ludwig's office and stormed outside. I was a little embarrassed with myself, shouting like that. It was childish, I admit. But what can I do? I was frustrated, angry, and excruciatingly hungry.

As I arrived outside the police station, I stared up at the dark night sky and wondered where the hell that thief is. I stared a few blocks away; at the shopping district I was at six hours ago. It was bright with the lights from a lot of police cars.

I decided to go there to grab some hamburgers – and information.

* * *

Katyusha's car halted in front of the old decrepit apartment. The black Porsche looked more extraordinarily out of place than ever here. Katyusha's head turned to me nervously. "Is this the place?" she asked me uncertainly.

"Yes, this is it. Thank you for bringing us here," I answered calmly as I looked at the apartment building. "Come on, let's get out. We'll be safe here."

Me and Peter got out of the car, and then Katyusha parked the car in the empty parking lot. I glanced at my watch; it was ten pm. Then, I rummaged the pocket of my jacket and pulled out the key to the apartment. Meanwhile, Katyusha trotted over to where Peter and I stood, holding an expensive looking travel bag. Then, the three of us entered the building together. After we climbed to the second floor, we walked to the room at the end of the corridor. I unlocked the door, and then we went into the dark apartment.

While I flipped on the lights, Peter and Katyusha sat on the couch in the living room. "Wow, you never told me you had this apartment, Arthur!" Peter said excitedly as he slouched lazily on the couch.

"That's because there's no need for you to know, dolt," I scoffed at his words. "What I do is my own business, not yours."

Peter pouted at my harsh words, and retorted, "Well, too bad that this _business _of yours is causing _me _trouble as well."

"Yeah, whatever. Katyusha-san, you can sleep in that room over there. Is it okay if Peter sleep in that room as well?" I turned to Katyusha. "If you feel uncomfortable, he can always sleep on the couch."

While Peter voiced his protest, Katyusha said timidly, "No, it's absolutely okay, Kirkland-san. He can sleep there as well."

"Where will _you _sleep?" Peter pouted.

"On the couch, you bloody moron," I retorted. "Where else should I sleep? I always sleep there anyway. Now come on, I bet you two are pretty tired. Just go to bed already."

After the argument, the two went to check their bedroom while I trotted to the kitchen to find some beer. After the horrendous escape, my headache started to reappear again. An alcoholic beverage might not be the perfect treatment for it, but it can numb the pain for a certain amount of time. Of course, there's a possibility of a major hangover once the effect wear out as well.

In the kitchen, I pulled out a very frosty can of beer. While I opened it and poured the golden colored content into an empty glass, I pondered over the past events. _How the hell did the police capture my friends? Was it mere coincidence? How could they possibly linked us to the theft? There was no evidence at all!_

While I walked to the living room to gulp down the beer, an errant thought ran across my mind; what if it was not the police who caught my friends? I mean, Katyusha never actually said that it was the police who chased us. And now that I thought about it again, those black cars chasing us a few hours ago couldn't possibly belonged to the police. It looked way too luxurious to be a police car.

I slouched on the couch with the beer on my hand, wondering where my friends are right now. Then, I drained the glass off any liquid at all. Slowly, the alcohol started to affect my mind, a cloudy blanket started to creep on my mind, numbing the bloody headache.

* * *

The sun shined obnoxiously on the wide blue sky, casting rays of blinding light and excruciating heat all over Lussallia. I wiped my sweated forehead beneath my police hat. I wished for just this once that I can take the damn thing off. Usually, I loved to wear that hat; it made me look like a real police. But right now, wearing the hat in this weather is plain torture. The thick material cooped my head and raised the temperature within the bounds of it into unbelievable heat.

While I struggled with the heat, all around me all the police are still looking over the damn green-eyed thief. I arrived at the office today at 6 am, ready to assemble as many police needed to catch the thief. Four hours after that, we're still searching with no positive result whatsoever. I was beginning to think that maybe that thief was a demon or a ghost.

"Wang, is there still no result at all?" I asked wearily. The heat is sapping my stamina faster than ever.

"No, aru. But there's some new discovery. They think they might've tracked where the thief went to. An eyewitness saw him getting into a black Porsche yesterday at about 8 pm or so," Wang stated, wiping sweat off his forehead using a small towel. "You want a drink, aru?"

"Yes. Please. Anything is fine."

"Here, aru." Wang handed me a bottle of water. I'd prefer a milkshake or something sweeter, but water will do for now. God, I wish there would be something to do, just _anything_-

"Lieutenant Jones!" somebody called me.

"Yeeees?" I replied lazily. "What's up?"

"We found them. In the outskirts of Lussallia, in an old apartment."

I froze immediately. Now that there's action, I was unready for it. How convenient.

"Alfred, come on, aru! We've got to go there fast!" Wang shouted, obviously irritated that I didn't follow him to the car. I snapped out of my reverie and immediately followed him; the thought of how crap I am today still followed me.

* * *

**Well, here's chapter 5. Long time not updating, sorry for that; I've been so busy at school. This one's rather short, since my head refused to cooperate to give me any creative ideas at all. I've got the whole plot done though. Well, enjoy this chapter guys~ ==**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Gilbert opened his eyes slowly as a stream of sunlight poured into the dusty storage room. His eyelids fluttered as a sharp jab of pain hit his head. "Ow," He moaned, reaching his hand to hold his head. Unfortunately, someone had held his hand firm before he could find the source of the pain.

"What the-"

"Ssh, don't speak. Your wound will open again if you keep on rolling all over," A voice murmured gently as the grip on his wrist slackened.

"Who-" Gilbert's eyelids fluttered slightly, revealing a blurry image of somebody with blonde hair and a deep blue ribbon tied on his or her hair. The image focused slowly as he regained his composure, revealing Liesl, that damn Vash's little sister.

"Li… Liesl..?" Gilbert whispered hoarsely as he felt the wound on his forehead throbbed. The said girl smiled and nodded at him.

"I see you're awake finally," another voice murmured, sounding slightly irritated.

"Vash..?"

"Yeah."

"Who else is here?" Gilbert asked, feeling slightly dizzy as he realized how hungry he felt.

"Me," another voice replied gloomily.

"Me too, Gilbert-kun," another voice followed.

"Chelle..? And Kiku as well..? So, all of you guys are here..?" Gilbert whispered in disbelief as he tried to stand up, although Liesl had forced him to lie down once more.

"Yeah. Everyone, except for Arthur," Chelle whispered miserably. Her pony tails were messed up and tangled, and her bangs were in total disarray.

"So, what happened to you guys..?"

"Same as you, I guess," Vash sighed as he combed his messy blond hair with his fingers. "Me and Liesl were abducted on our way home; we had just got off the bus when suddenly two men appeared and ambushed us."

"And you, Chelle..? Kiku..?" Gilbert asked curiously.

"Same with everyone," Chelle sighed. "Me and Kiku had took the same subway home, since we lived in the same district. But when we got out from the subway station and walked together…"

"Somebody attacked us," Kiku finished as he buried his face in his palms. "It was five against two; there was nothing we could do to get away."

"Now, we can only hope that Arthur won't get caught as well," Vash stated. "He's our only hope to get away from this. Still, why this whole thing is happening, I don't have a single clue."

"Well, maybe-"

Suddenly, the door to the cramped and dusty storage room opened, revealing a tall blond accompanied by a shorter man with shoulder length soft auburn colored hair and a young woman with long pale blonde hair. The others went silent immediately as the intensity of the atmosphere arisen. Gilbert finally managed to get up into a sitting position, although his head was starting to spin. He squinted his eyes as he tried to register the newcomers.

"Oh, for God's dear sake," He whispered with horror. "Not… No, no way… Not _him_…"

"Oh, it's you again! Gilbert, da?" The tall blond murmured sweetly as his violet eyes flashed on Gilbert's pale face. "Long time not meeting you, since our last… encounter, da?"

The others stared at Gilbert's fearful expression, curiosity nagging inside their head.

"Now, then. I shall introduce myself, da?" The blond smiled. "I am Ivan Braginski, and this is my little sister, Natalia Alfroskaya."

The group's eyes widened as they recognized the last name. Alfroskaya.

However, Kiku was the only one who had registered the first name as well. "Braginski… Ivan Braginski from the Braginski clan..?" He murmured cautiously, brushing his jet black hair timidly.

"Ah, I see you recognized me, da? Kiku Honda, am I right?"

Kiku flinched as Ivan mentioned his name. "How… How did you…" He stuttered, sweat started trickling down his cheek.

"Ah, that is thanks to the help of my friend here," Ivan nodded to the timid man standing by his side. "He happened to have some… Good connections. But enough about me, da?"

"I want to know about your friend here – what's his name – Arthur Kirkland, da?" Ivan flashed a cruel smile.

The others held their breath immediately. Had Ivan caught Arthur as well..?

"Tell me now. _Where is he?_" Ivan hissed, his violet eyes narrowed dangerously.

The group stared at each other, relief creeping upon their expression. So Arthur was safe, for the time being. But… How did this guy even know about Arthur..?

"We don't know," Chelle spoke up bravely, although her body was trembling with fear.

"I happened to know that you guys are the one who stole documents from my little sister's office a few days ago," Ivan smiled pleasantly. "And I guess you guys would not be so kind to tell me why you guys stole it."

"Well, that's not much of a secret, isn't it?" Gilbert blurted out, followed by the alarming look from everybody around him.

"I know, da," Ivan smiled cruelly. "That's why I've hired someone to… Let's just say 'persuade' you guys to open your mouths."

Suddenly, Ivan clicked his fingers. "Toris," He called silently. "Call him here."

"Y- You mean not… Bonnefoy-san..? Not him, right, Ivan-sama..?" The auburn-haired guy stuttered as his green eyes widened in fear and utter disbelief.

Ivan's eyes flashed like daggers as he glared at Toris. "Do I have to say it? Get him here _now_," Ivan hissed impatiently.

The guy called Toris cowered immediately and whispered, "O- Okay, Ivan-sama. I'm truly sorry for my idiocy. I'll bring him here immediately." Then, he backed away to the door and bolted out.

As the door closed silently, Ivan murmured coldly to Natalia, "Go back to your room. I'd really prefer you not to see this."

The young lady nodded obediently, her eyes shooting adoring gaze at his older brother. Then, she pranced to the door, her long hair danced away behind her. She closed the door, leaving the group alone with Ivan. They could've tackled him, but something about his aura was so intimidating that none of them dared to move.

Suddenly, a knock issued from the wooden door. "Come in," Ivan called, a cruel smile tugged on his lips.

* * *

I stirred as rays of sunlight hit my face. I could feel slight headache pounded my head, but thankfully there was no hangover. I was about to get up and take a shower when I heard sirens.

"Oh, fuck it!" I swore loudly as the earsplitting sound of police car sirens issued outside the building. I ducked low on the floor and crept to the window, ignoring the blinding sunlight. I peeked outside, and the view horrified me instantly. Police. Lots of them. Swarming up outside the apartment building. Examining Katyusha's Porsche in the parking lot.

Immediately, I dashed from the window to the bedroom where Katyusha and Peter were sleeping. They were still fast asleep, although it was already eleven in the afternoon. "Wake up!" I yelled, panic started to crept into my mind. Neither of them stirred at the sound of my voice, so I yelled harder, "OY! WAKE UP, YOU TWO!"

Immediately, they bolted up. Peter nearly fell off his bed, and Katyusha coughed as she sat up, her breast bouncing slightly. I tried to keep my mind straight and whispered, "Hurry up and pack your things. We've got to get away from here."

"Wha..? Who..?" Katyusha's eyes widened.

"Police. Lots of them. I don't know how did they find this apartment, but we have to move. _Now_," I gritted my teeth in anger. _It must be that damn Jones' kid fault. Oh, why oh why did I let him go yesterday..?_

Ignoring Peter's groan, I bolted outside the bedroom, snatching my belongings in a hurry. Luckily, I didn't remember to open my travel bag yesterday, so it was still intact. I snatched it immediately and went to the dining room to snatch the laptop our team had used for missions. It'll be a disaster if the police managed to get their hands on it.

When I headed back to the bedroom, I found Katyusha and Peter ready to go, holding their bags in their hands. Luckily, none of us had changed out of the clothes we wore last night. We were too tired to do so. Immediately, we headed out of the apartment.

I opened the door slightly; the police had not gone into the apartment yet. Maybe I could use the fire escape, since it was well hidden behind the building. I crept out from the apartment, signaling Katyusha and Peter to follow me. I locked the door before we left, hoping that the police won't get in after we left. It'll be a shame if that LCD screen got confiscated by them.

Slowly, the three of us crept to the fire escape hidden behind the door at the end of the corridor.

* * *

"Alfred, how did it go, ve~?" Feliciano's voice woke me up from my sleepy daydream.

"Wha- What..? Oh, I'm sorry, Feliciano," I stuttered, trying to knock myself up. I swore inwardly at myself, how could I be so stupid to daydream when my team is working hard on this mission? I'm their Lieutenant; I'm supposed to work twice as hard. But somehow, my mind just won't cooperate with my will. Each time I tried to think, I started to doze off.

"Are you okay? You seemed unhealthy, Alfred-kun," Feliciano asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "You looked pale; did you got enough sleep last night, ve~?"

"I'm… I'm okay, Feliciano…" I replied, trying to stay awake. The harsh stab of sunlight was still tormenting me to no end of course, but I didn't want anyone to know that.

"Well, anyway. We've found the said Porsche, but we didn't have a clue who it belonged to," Feliciano reported, scratching his head in confusion.

"What? Didn't it have a license plate or something..?"

"Nope. None of those. We're searching inside the apartment right now, to see if we find anyone who knows about it," Feliciano continued his report.

"Good. Keep it up," I muttered, frustrated by the lack of progress. I knew that this is part of being a police, but still… I was hoping for more action, like shooting and jumping and killing…

Suddenly, a ruckus issued from somewhere near the apartment. Shouts and yells filled the hot summer air, effectively triggering an acute migraine on my head. "What the hell..?" I murmured in irritation.

And then I saw him. The emerald eyed thief, followed by a young woman with healthy-sized breast and a little boy. He was running, although I didn't remember that his running was that slow. When I chased him yesterday, he was obviously faster, almost like an antelope leaping in the African plains. Behind him, several polices were following, yelling at him to stop and put his hands up.

When suddenly one of them pulled his gun and aimed, suddenly the thief stopped mid-running and ran to the police instead, yelling at the woman and the boy to get ahead somewhere safe. With his startling agility, he swung his legs so fast it was a blur, kicking the police holding the gun straight on his groin. The police yelped in pain while the thief turned and ran on the opposite direction, following the woman and the boy.

I stood there agape, once more unable to do anything when I was supposed to do something. All around me, everybody was blurring into action. "Alfred! Hurry up, aru!" Wang shouted at me.

However, I stood still there. Somehow, I felt too startled to move. All this time, I was so accustomed to watch everything from afar that I don't know what to do when I was in the scene itself. As I watched like an imbecile, I could see that the three was cornered at the end of alley beside the apartment. To my surprise, the thief was standing in front of the woman and the boy. It seemed so… Un-villain like. He was especially protective of the little boy, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he looked for a way of escape through the barrier of police surrounding them. Then suddenly, his eyes met mine. There was a startled look on his face as he recognized mine, and then replaced by an expression that could only came from pure fury and outrage. In this case, the rage was directed toward me.

Once more, I found myself startled by his eyes. This time, they were filled with rage, panic, and – I was startled when I realized it – utter_ fear. _He was bewildered, panicked, and completely out of his mind. He was trying his best to keep himself restrained. If he just lash out the same way he lashed out on me yesterday, he knew he could get the boy or the woman in danger.

I had never expected in my life that a villain could think of something like that. It made them seemed… _human._ The feeling felt alien to me – I had never thought of villains as a human before. To me, they're like… animals, nothing more. Suddenly, one thing came into my mind; a completely and utterly mad idea that formed out of nowhere.

I bit my lips. What I'm about to do is defying my own code of ethic – the hero code. Why should I risk myself defying it for a villain..? But… Once more, I found myself unable to think or do anything.

I gritted my teeth. I guess I'm already so useless all the time, so why not just… Ruin everything to the fullest? I watched my surroundings – every police had gone to corner the emerald eyed thief, but nobody was guarding the Porsche. I smiled to myself; I guess it was time to kick my villain side into action.

* * *

I kept Peter and Katyusha behind me, shielding them using my body. I was desperate to hold myself together; if I just attack these bastards right here and right now, I'll put Peter and Katyusha's life into risk. Put my own brother's life into risk. What will my parents say if they see me like this? I could almost smile when I imagined how they would definitely slap me clean across my face.

"Put your hands up!" One of the police barked.

"As long as you don't hurt these two, I have no problem with that," I replied smoothly, trying to hide my panic.

"Fine, we'll make sure of that," one of them replied.

_Yeah, right_, I thought as I scoffed inwardly. After all these years, all my trust on authorities had gone completely. But this time, I had to obey for Peter's sake, so I raised my hands up in the air, dropping my bag in the process.

"Somebody, take his bag," one of the police yelled, while one of them stepped forward.

Before he could get close to me though, suddenly a horrible screech issued behind the wall of police. "Wha…" The police who stood near me gaped as his comrades ran away to avoid something that sped toward us in about 150 miles per hour speed. I gaped once I realized what it was. It was a sleek black Porsche, speeding toward the three us, its tires screeching on the hard concrete.

Suddenly, it drifted right before it hit me. Had it not did so, I might be smacked onto the hard wall, and Arthur Kirkland will be history. As the tires screeched into a stop, the dark window opened, revealing a certain blond I recognized. His azure blue eyes was staring at me behind his wire-rimmed glasses, and he growled,

"Get in the car."

He needn't told me twice.

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter done. Sorry for not updating for a long time, but once more, my head had refused to cooperate and give me any creative ideas ****to write. Damn.**

**Anyway, review pretty please? *slapped***


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